Barnet UNISON reps are having conversations every week with low-paid members who are exhausted, demoralised, and afraid for their children’s future. They see prices rising, wages stuck, and public services falling apart. And they hear, again and again, the same excuse: “There’s no money.”
That’s the biggest conspiracy theory of our time.
There is money. In fact, the UK is wealthier than ever before—just not for the people who make it work. Billionaires in this country have more than doubled their wealth since 2008.
During the pandemic, the richest 1% grew even richer while key workers—care staff, cleaners, school catering workers, housing and security staff—were thanked with applause, then handed real-terms pay cuts.
In Barnet, we see how this lie plays out. Council services have been outsourced to private companies on the promise of efficiency and cost savings. The reality? Poorer working conditions, lower pay, and services run for profit, not people.
That’s why Barnet UNISON is demanding that school catering, cleaning, care work, housing services, parking enforcement and security staff all be brought back in-house. Public money should be spent on public services—not drained off into shareholders’ pockets.
When services are outsourced, it’s not just workers who lose out. Residents get less accountable, more fragmented services.
UNISON nationally is clear: We want proper funding for local government, fair and inflation-proofed pay awards, and an end to outsourcing. And we in Barnet are fighting to make that a reality in our own borough.
But there’s a deeper issue we need to confront: why so many of our lowest-paid colleagues have come to believe the lie that there simply isn’t enough money.
It’s not just bad economics—it’s psychological warfare.
After a decade of austerity, the working class has been made to believe the idea that they must sacrifice, while the rich are told they deserve more.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
A wealth tax—just a small one—on the richest 1% could raise tens of billions every year. Even a 1% tax on wealth above £10 million could help rebuild our services and give dignity to our most vital workers. But the political will is missing, because the people at the top benefit from the status quo.
The role of our union is not just to negotiate pay—it’s to organise hope. To help members imagine something better. To challenge the story that poverty is inevitable.
Poverty is political, not natural. It’s a choice.
The truth is simple: the money is there. What’s missing is justice, courage, and power in the hands of the workers who keep our communities alive.
That’s why we’re fighting. To end outsourcing. To win fair pay. To bring services back in-house. And to expose the cruelest conspiracy of all: that we must settle for less while the super-rich keep more money than they can ever use.
Solidarity.
Barnet UNISON.
